Montague educators are planning to ask students to decide on potential colleges at at time when most are more busy pondering what color Play-Doh they want to pull off the shelf.

Press file photoDavid Sipka in 2007.

But Superintendent David Sipka said the idea is to get students to start thinking about college, and the earlier the better. And parents, he said, need to remember that each grade is another step toward the eventual goal.

The district recently approved new kindergarten registration forms that ask parents to list five colleges or universities they would like to see their children eventually attend – a move Sipka said likely the first of its kind in the state.

“Part of developing our mission is to build a culture in which all students have a vision to continue their education beyond a high school diploma,” the registration form reads.

“In today's world a high school diploma is not the end of learning but a passport to further educational ventures in college or trade schools. Please help us help your child develop their vision for education.”

Sipka said the idea grew from discussions with people involved with the Muskegon Opportunity, a local group that encourages students to attend college.

“We need to get more kids thinking about what they want to do after high school, be that a college or trade school,” he said. “I threw out this idea, and eyes around the table all lit up. We all need to do more along these lines. Wouldn't it be a good job for the intermediate school districts to embrace the idea of a K-16 education and foster that belief?”

Sipka said many of his high school teachers each day write their “learning targets,” or goals for the lesson, on the board each day.

“Students say they like it, saying things like, 'It tells us what we should be learning today.'” he said. “It's a small thing, but it's made a lasting impression.”

The college preferences are intended to be a long-term version, a reminder of a goal students should be shooting for.

Sipka said teachers union leaders suggested getting the colleges involved, suggesting that they offered elementary school students t-shirts or others items to build excitement.

Montague, near Muskegon, is a district of about 1,500 students, and this year, for the first time, the number eligible for free or reduced-price lunch topped 50 percent.

“So many of our students are living in poverty or may not have had a college experience,” he said. “We want them thinking along these lines from day one. If we can inspire the kids and get them to want to go to college, that's half the battle.”

Board of Education President Lee Suits said members thought listing college preferences was a “wonderful idea. Anything we can do to motivate students to aspire to higher education will help them become articulate, productive citizens.”

Grand Rapids businessman Peter Secchia last year helped organize a trip for 120 Grand Rapids elementary students to watch the Spartan Marching Band in pre-game warmups, march behind the band to Spartan stadium and sit in the stands.

"We say each year, 'Stay in school. Get a degree. Go to college,' " Secchia, 1963 MSU graduate, said at the time. "I wondered if these kids knew what a college campus or college life was about."